Great Firsts In First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) Professional Hockey History: "Don't Call Me Chief" Series #5

Captain George Armstrong

1) First First Nations Players in the NHL:
This is debated.  Paul Jacobs may have played one game in 1918 for the NHL's Toronto Arenas, Albert Miracle played for the NHL's New York Rangers for 11 games in 1931,and Fred Saskamoose played 11 games for the NHL's Chicago Black Hawks in 1954.*

2) First Inut Players to play Professional Hockey:  Terrence Tootoo who played for the Roanoke Express of the ECHL in 2001-02, was the first Inuit to  play professionally but not at the NHL level. His brother Jordin was the first Inuit to play in the NHL with the Nashville Predators October 9, 2003.

3) First FNMI Player to Win the Conn Smythe: Reggie Leach in the 1975-76 playoffs. He scored 19 playoff goals, a NHL record at the time. Bryan Trottier won it in 1980.

 4) First FMNI Player to Score 50 Goals: Reggie Leach scored 61 goals in the 1975-76 season, Bryan Trottier scored 50 in 1981-82. The only onther FNMI player to score over 50 in the NHL was Jonathon Cheechoo, 56 goals in 2005-06.**

Reggie "Riverton  Rifle" Leach

5) First FMNI Player in the Hockey Hall of Fame: George Armstrong 1975. Bryan Trottier was inducted in 1997. During Trottier's Hockey Hall of Fame speech he thanked his mother for making him proud of his aboriginal heritage.

 6) First FMNI Player to Win the Calder, Art Ross, and Hart Trophies: Bryan Trottier.  Trottier is the greatest FMNI to ever play in the NHL! He lead the New York Islanders to four Stanley Cups

and played on two Pittsburgh Penguin Stanley Cup winners. He was assistant coach with Colorado for his 7th. He is seventh on the NHL all time players list with 1,279 games played, 524 goals, 901 assists and 1,425 total career points.In 1998, he received an Aboriginal Achievement Award for Sports.

 7) First FMNI Player to be Team Captain:  George Armstrong  1960 - 61 Toronto Maple Leafs.

 8) First FNMI player to Win the Stanley Cup:  Antoine "Tony" Gingras:  The Winnipeg Victorias, champions of Canada and winners of the Stanley Cup in 1901 were lead by the famous Métis player, Antoine "Tony" Gingras, of St. Boniface. George Armstrong won it in 1962,1963,1964, 1967. Trottier won it 7 times.

9) First FMNI Player to be an NHL All-star:  George Armstrong 1956 (7 times an all-star)

A Young Trottier With
 Hardware( Dennis Potvin on right)

"Don’t Call Me Chief” Series #5

At one time or another most First Nations and many Métis hockey players are nicknamed “Chief”. As Don Marks writes in his book, They Call Me Chief:  Warriors on Ice, it may be considered racist to call every First Nation hockey player “Chief” or it may be a case of ignorance. In either case it is a stereotype that is inappropriate and may be considered rude, racist, and offensive. Hockeyhistory.org's series of posts celebrates FNMI professional hockey players.

SIHR's Pucklore: The Hockey Research
Anthology Volume I

* James Milks, Paul Jacobs: First Native Canadian in the NHL?  in Pucklore: The Hockey Research Anthology Volume I, Society for International Hockey Research:   Compiled by James Milks
**Cardinal's book, First Nation Hockey Players mistakenly identifies Trottier as the First FMNI player to score 50 in the NHL.